Last Saturday, Team 980 was selected by the #3 seed, Beach City Robotics (Team 294), to join Team 968 (RAWC) in the elimination rounds of the 2010 Los Angeles Regional. This alliance went on to play one of the most exciting finals competitions ever. Our alliance swept the quarterfinal matches over the #6 alliance, 10-7 and 11-4. We upset the #2 alliance (Teams 190, 233 and 2429), in two matches: 13-6 and 10-6. In the finals, the #1 alliance (Teams 330, 1717 and 1452) emerged as winners of the LA Regional after four hard-fought matches. The first match was a 12-12 tie, #1 alliance won the second match 14-10, our alliance won the third match 8-10, then hobbled by a battery failure in the 980 robot, we lost the deciding match 9-3. We ended our 2010 official FIRST season in terrific fashion, coming within just one victory short of a trip to the Championship.
Team 980 ThunderBots: 2010 Los Angeles Regional Finalists
Team 980 really pulled it all together at the Los Angeles Regional event. We improved our robot and driving skills consistently through the qualification round. Still, being selected for eliminations was a bit surprising since our robot appeared to be severely damaged in our last qualification match. The loss of drive belts and fracture of a flexure in our suspension system looked much worse than it was. After the match, we quickly repaired the damage with more robust components. A mentor from Team 968 visited our pit while the alliance selections were in progress and rushed to the field in time for the #3 alliance to select us as the third member. Our alliance developed a strategy that carried us right to the final match of the event. It was an exhausting, yet exhilarating competition.
Everyone on Team 980 should be proud of our success at our competitions this year. That success didn’t just happen, it was a result of hard work and dedication by the team. We owe a great deal of thanks to our sponsors and partners: NASA/JPL, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, Neighbors Empowering Youth, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Solutions for Automation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Crystal View Corporation and some private donors.
Team 980 is exploring options for building our robot in Burbank near the John Burroughs campus. In the next few weeks, we’ll make contact with organizations such as the Burbank Rose Float Association, Walt Disney Imagineering and the City of Burbank. Looking ahead, Team 980 will attend the Space Day demonstration on May 14 in Riverside, do a robot demonstration for Burroughs HS (date TBD), compete in the Indiana Robotics Invitational (July 16-17, TBD), and perhaps in the Fall Classic (Sept), CalGames (Oct), and MadTown Throwdown (TBD) events as well.
Congratulations to everyone on Team 980 for an excellent 2010 season!
Look for an announcement for our post-season party (hopefully in late-April or early-May).
